Team Vitality vs SK Gaming
Vitality are returning to the Rift without Jactroll, who left for Origen on Tuesday and will no longer represent the yellow and black colors. That, however, won’t be a massive blow for Vitality since they did not field the Polish support since their loss to S04.
Overall, we can expect much of the same from Vitality, meaning inconsistent results and occasional flashes of greatness, albeit it’s also fair to say that the second half of the split will be much tougher, so winning games like that will be crucial.
SK Gaming did not make any roster changes during the mid-season break, and to be fair they don’t necessarily need to. This team has been playing well, but at the same time, it’s also clear they just don’t stack up with the best teams in the league.
Quality-wise, I don’t believe there is a lot to separate Vitality from SK Gaming. Both are equally mediocre and somewhat equally capable of winning this match. This seems like a close bout that should extend well beyond 30 minutes and turn into a bloodbath.
Prediction: Over 21.5 kills – 1.79
Rogue vs Schalke
They say everyone can defeat anyone and that no one is safe from suffering a shock defeat in this season of LEC. To some degree that holds true, but I just don’t see how this match can end in any other way than Rogue winning.
Rogue was proven times and times again they can easily compete against the top teams in the league and while they might not be ready to compete for the title this season, Rogue is without a doubt a very solid and consistent team. Schalke 04, on the other side, don’t have anything to gain from this split, unless they produce some kind of a miracle run and win all of their next games, which is highly unlikely.
There are still some positives to take from Schalke’s last week’s performance when they defeated Fnatic, but in all honesty, that win does not mean much and does not show their true strength since Fnatic were in a bit of a slump as of late. Expect another commanding performance from Rogue, who should win this one without any problems.
Prediction: Rogue -6.5 – 1.82
Misfits vs Fnatic
I’m not too excited about how these two teams have been performing so far this split and while Misfits showed just how unorganized they can be, Fnatic have found themselves in a slump and are now 4-5, nine games into the split.
Fnatic have some of the biggest talents in Europe on the roster, but looking at their games, it just seems like they’re not playing like a solid unit and are anything but organized. In a way, Fnatic and Misfits suffer from the same problem and only time will tell whether they have fixed it during the break.
Fnatic have found themselves under fire for their performances and even that would be an understatement. Everywhere you would look on the social medial you could see fans and others alike criticize Fnatic for their showings which they deserve, but at the same time, this is the same story we get to see year after year.
Another thing we see year after year is Fnatic’s resurgence in the latter stages of the split and their inevitable appearance in the playoffs. History has taught us Fnatic deliver when it matters and while I expect them to walk away with a win here, I’m still a bit skeptical whether Fnatic have fixed their struggles during the break. Expect another close bout between Misfits and Fnatic.
Prediction: Over 23.5 kills – 1.840
G2 Esports vs Origen
There is no hiding the fact that G2 Esports are not as strong as some would expect them to be, however, if there is one thing we can be sure of it’s that G2 will find a way to win the league.
This may sound a bit biased, but it isn’t. Like it or not, G2 Esports are by far the strongest European LoL team. Plenty of G2 Esports’ performances this split were very sloppy, which might give the impression that G2 are becoming weaker, but in reality, it’s just their lack of focus, since they don’t get challenged enough in the LEC.
This has changed to some degree this split with MAD Lions and Rogue showing their true potential, meaning G2 are now put in a position where they can’t afford to underperform – and we all know what type of G2 we get when they found themselves in such a situation.
Origen have recently acquired Jactroll as their new support, which is a positive change in my book, but at the same time, Origen will have a hard time stacking up to G2. Origen are a very strong team that would do just fine at Worlds stage, but at the same time, they are forced to live in the shadow of Fnatic and G2. In a way Origen are always there, just never at the top.
What’s more, their recent struggles which include losses to Rogue and Vitality don’t inspire much confidence ahead of this bout, especially considering they will be facing G2 who can not afford to drop any more games if they’re serious about claiming the LEC crown.
History has taught us G2 turn into an unstoppable machine in the final stages of the tournaments and quite frankly, I am not ready to believe this year will be any different.
Prediction: G2 Esports – 6.5 kill – 2.140
